BMW G 650 GS – 2011 |
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| Monday, 30 January 2012 11:48 | |
 In 2008 BMW discontinued the very popular F650GS and so ended what had been a 650 cc single model that could trace its roots back to 1993 when the BMW F650 Funduro and F650ST Strada were originally introduced. In fact the model name, Funduro, became the name many bikers used to refer to the whole of the 650 single model range.But as they say, ‘you can’t keep an old dog down’ and with many of us missing the Funduro, BMW reintroduced the model globally in 2010 in a revised form, firmly making it part of the GS model range, with a new title, the BMW G 650 GS. Late in 2011 we got the opportunity to test this new baby of the GS range, to see whether it’s a worthy contender for the GS title, given that now it only produces 48 hp at 6,500 rpm.  The first thing you notice about the bike is the stylish twin under seat exhaust pipes. Yet this is a single cylinder engine. One of the exhausts is a dummy can with a link pipe from the working exhaust can.This greatly enhances the looks of this bike from the rear, but this must have added to the dry weight somewhat; which is questionable, given the modest power output of the bike. The bike looks very purposeful and in fact looks a far bigger bike overall than its engine size suggests. The GS styling is reinforced with the front beak and distinctive GS style headlamp setup; however the bike in standard trim is fairly tall (seat height 780mm), but BMW do offer a lowered suspension version. Out on the road, the 652 cc engine is very willing and in the mid range very torquey, providing surprisingly brisk acceleration in the 50 to 70mph range. Which for everyday riding is where you need the power most and this certainly enhances the practicality of this model. The engine is fairly tractable but below 2000 rpm you need to change down to maintain smooth progress. If you press on towards the upper 20% of the rev range the engine vibration becomes increasingly noticeable and the power delivery starts to die off. Based on our riding of the G 650 GS, we reckon it might just see the other side of a 100mph, BMW actually claim a top speed for the bike of 170kph (105.6 mph). The bike has a large, clear analogue speedometer which is generously marked up to 120 mph, however this is contrasted by the rather small LCD rev counter. The bike does have a clock and a series of standard warning lights, but lacks a fuel gauge, though it does have a low fuel warning light. The engine sweet spot is in the 3000 to 5000 rpm range, which equates in top gear to 50 to 70 mph, so the BMW engineers seem  to have got the performance delivery spot on. Ridden in this rev range the bike is surprisingly smooth for a single cylinder bike and combined with the relatively comfortable seat, which you can remain on for 2 hours plus before a comfort dismount is required. The G 650 GS can easily be used for longer distance touring.The bike does have a small non adjustable screen which keeps the worst of the frontal air flow off your body, though it would have been even better if the angle of the screen could be adjusted to suit taller riders. We found the mirrors only just adequate, for us they were set too far back on the bars, making setting them up to get the maximum rear view possible a little challenging. The double pot single floating calliper Brembo brake upfront and a smaller single pot floating calliper at the rear, provide good stopping power, without being overly aggressive. The gearbox has a slick change action, though surprisingly the gear lever still has a lot of upwards movement when fifth gear is selected! The bike only weighs 175 kg (dry weight) so is easy to move around on the road either by counter-steering using the wide bars or by just shifting your body weight. The bike corners very easily and as such is great fun to ride, as surprisingly swift progress can be made on windy rural roads and you quickly forget the bikes power, as you can maintain good average speeds. The standard suspension set-up we found near perfect and you can ride this GS on the worst of rutted roads, gravel strewn tracks and the bike never puts a foot wrong. For this alone the bike deserves the GS title! The bike has all metal foot rests and is very easy to stand-up on, with the bars being at just the right height, the bike is more than capable of venturing off-road, even more so if full off road tyres were fitted. The good sized aluminium bash plate and chain guard adding to the off-road capability.  One of the most un-bike like features is the petrol filler cap, which is on the side of the bike like a car. This forces you to get off the bike at the pumps to fill up, perhaps a good thing from a safety point of view. Whilst in the left hand side top of the dummy petrol tank, is a filler cap actually used for topping up the engine oil.  The engine can sound a little clattery, but that is just because it’s a single, but the bike does have an air of indestructibility about it! Very much the sort of bike you could ride across continents and it would happily get you there and back. This bike is very much the light weight go anywhere adventure bike for one, whilst we feel the bigger GS’s in the range are more suited to two up riding. We liked the fact that you could ride the bike leisurely, at a little over 2,000 rpm taking in the scenery and the next moment push on up to 5000 rpm and enjoy the spritely progress this GS can make on most surfaces.  The bike has a good sized rack enhancing the practical appeal of this model further, as well as a side stand with a large foot plate, which was easy to kick down. This reviewer bemoans the change to Japanese standard style switch gear rather than the traditional style BMW indicator paddles and cancel button, however most will appreciate the familiar feel of the switch gear and this obviously widens the bikes appeal. However, strangely BMW have changed the standard ignition switch sequence on this model in that you have to turn the key through the parking light position to the final position to lock the steering, which is the reverse of the normal operation. We left the parking lights on, several times as a result. The biggest surprise is the un-BMW like price. At the time of writing this review (January 2012) the on road cost of this bike in base trim is only £5,295.00, yes you did read that correctly £5,295.00 for a BMW! Something of a bargain we think and yes you’ll even be able to afford to run it because BMW claim a fuel consumption of only 3.2 litres per 100 km at a steady 90 kph, which is very impressive indeed from a 650cc engine. So there you have it, you can have a real GS that you can afford to run for approximately half the cost of its 1200cc bigger brother. Yet it’s not giving you just half of the capability of the 1200 GS, in fact in most circumstances, one up, this bike is as capable if not more, off road than its bigger brother. A true GS indeed! Note all performance figures, weights and technical specifications are as claimed by the manufacturer Thanks to the BMW North Oxford dealership for the loan of the BMW R 1200 GS Specifications New price *: £5,295 Engine: 4 Water-cooled, single-cylinder 4-stroke engine, four valves, two overheads camshafts, dry sump lubrication Engine Size: 652 cc Power: 48 HP Transmission: Constant mesh 5-speed gearbox integrated into crankcase Weight (Dry): 175kg * Suggested On Road Retail Price for base model with no factory fit options Article and Photos by Jon Booth – http://www.inter-bike.co.uk – The UK Biker Site
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